Malaysian pride revolves around delicious food from Chinese and Indian to Malay and Western styles. With so many 24-hour mamaks and food courts, tourists can quickly feel overwhelmed with choice. Culture Trip makes the decision easier with our list of the best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for any taste and budget.
Bakti Woodlands
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
Fluffy butter and garlic naan | © Alpha/Flickr
Rated as one of the best Indian restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Bakti Woodlands near Masjid Jamek offers a variety of both North and South Indian food. Featuring a vegetarian and Halal menu, customers can choose between set meals, uttapam, thali and naan. But the biggest highlight is the low price for the large portions.
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Lot 10 Hutong Food Court
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
Food signs outside of Lot 10 mall | © tera.ken/Shutterstock
Malaysians love food courts. Lot 10 Hutong, in Bukit Bintang, features several Chinese vendors serving various types of noodles, dumplings and other delicious meals in the basement of the Lot 10 Shopping Centre. Expect a large choice of meals straight from the hawkers at low prices. Hokkien Mee is highly recommended.
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Soong Kee's Beef Ball Noodle
Restaurant, Malaysian$$$
A bowl of beef ball noodle soup would make a great breakfast | © Yun Huang Yong/Flickr
Serving their signature Beef Ball noodles, Soong Kee’s offers a delicious traditional meal. Anyone with a taste for noodle soup will appreciate Soong Kee’s whose secret recipe has been passed down generations. With a funky yellow exterior and regulars claiming to have enjoyed the noodles here for decades, this Chinese restaurant along Petaling Street is worth checking out.
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Devi’s Corner
Restaurant, Malaysian, $$$
Delicious rice and curry with sides | © Jimmy Tan/Flickr
Visitors looking for an authentic dining experience can check out Devi’s Corner banana leaf restaurant. Customers order a selection of food served on a large banana leaf instead of a plate. The delicious South Indian meal comes at a reasonable price tag while offering an insight into the local culture. And to get the most out of the experience, why not discard the spoon and fork and use the fingers. Just remember to eat with the right hand!
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Restoran Husen Café
Restaurant, Malaysian$$$
Eat rice or roti with many types of curries to choose from | © Alpha/Flickr
Located in Brickfields next door to several budget-friendly hotels, Restoran Husen Café provides Indian food at rock-bottom prices. Expect the usual modest style of a Malaysian Nasi Kandar with options ranging from self-service, roti, fried rice and nasi lemak. With an English menu and being open 24 hours, there’s little wonder why this often rates as one of the best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for budget travellers.
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Restoran Yap Hup Kee
Restaurant, Malaysian, $$$
Hakka Yong Tau Foo | © Banej/WikiCommons
The red-painted shophouse near Chan Sow Lin Metro Station ranks among the best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for Hakka food. With both an indoor air-conditioned and outdoor seating area, Yap Hup Keep has a selection of food to suit all tastes at affordable prices. Check out the Yong Tau Foo selection, traditional Hakka noodle soups and vegetarian mock duck.
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Dining In The Dark
Restaurant, Malaysian, $$$$
Want to try a completely different culinary experience by eating in complete darkness? Dining In The Dark offers this type of service in Changkat Bukit Bintang. According to the owners, the food tastes better after removing visual cues. Diners choose a set four-course meal before placing mobile phones and watches inside a locker and proceeding to their table in the dark. Online reservations are essential and customers need to follow a semi-formal to formal dress code.
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Grella's
Restaurant, Malaysian, American, $$$
A selection of Western food is available at the restaurant | © Pixabay
Grella’s specialises in Western cuisine and rates as one of the best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for homesick expats. Despite its location in Wangsa Maju a short distance from the city centre, Grella’s comes recommended for its Western dishes, from burgers and grilled chicken to lamb chops. The mixed grilled platter with a selection of meat and sausages is the signature dish in this halal-friendly establishment. Lunch and dinner set menus along with buffet-style dining are available too.
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Lafite
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
A selection of fine wines are also available at Lafite | © Pixabay
For an ultra-luxurious gastronomical experience, head to the Shangri La’s Lafite. The French restaurant received several awards for fine dining in Malaysia with a resident chef who often interacts with customers for feedback on his meals. Expect a luxurious and sophisticated atmosphere inside a small and intimate restaurant with well-dressed and polite waiters. Lafite specialises in French and European flavours. Satisfied customers often recommend the tasting menu. With a wide selection of gourmet meals and an even longer list of rare wines to satisfy a refined palate, this fine dining restaurant in Kuala Lumpur is an excellent spot for a romantic dinner or to bring business clients.
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Jalan Alor Night Food Court
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
You can find a lot of choices at Jalan Alor Night Food Court | © IQRemix/Flickr
Once a red light district and now one of the hottest places for Malaysian street food, Jalan Alor consistently ranks as a favourite. From 5:00pm onwards, Hawkers line both sides of the street selling snacks and cheap meals on the small roadside tables and plastic stools. Both locals and tourists head along Jalan Alor Night Food Court to enjoy everything from barbequed satay and noodle soup to seafood.
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Marosh Restaurant
Restaurant, Malaysian, $$$
Choices of grilled meat are available | © Pixabay
This Arabic-style restaurant in Bukit Bintang opened its doors in 2011 and since became one of the capital’s top spots for Middle Eastern cuisine. Marosh, along Jalan Bukit Bintang, fills its expensive menu with grilled meats and kebabs and gives very generous portions. Customers also like the atmosphere and excellent quality of service.
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Madam Kwan's
Restaurant, Malaysian, $$$
Nasi lemak served in Madam Kwan's | © Jpatokal/WikiCommons
Kwan Swee Lian has served food since 1977 and now cooks up the best of Malaysian food from nasi lemak to Chinese-style noodles. Fusing different flavours and Malaysian cuisines along with street food, the connoisseur or curious tourist will have an intriguing dining experience at Madan Kwan’s.
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Cu Cha Restaurant
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
Cheap and delicious Char Kuey Tiaw with seafood | © Sham Hardy/Flickr
For a cheap eat in Bukit Bintang, head to Cu Cha Restaurant in Jalan Alor. The hawker-style restaurant has some of the best Char Kuey Teow, a favourite stir-fried noodle dish, outside of Penang. Expect no-thrills service with delicious traditional food at rock-bottom prices. Tourists will appreciate the delicious food while having an authentic Malaysian dining experience.
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Nagasari Curry House
Restaurant, Malaysian$$$
Fish head curry is a must when having banana leaf meal | © JB Macatulad/WikiCommons
Nagasari serves up a mixture of northern and southern Indian dishes including self-service options and an extensive menu. But the real highlight is the banana leaf rice, which is served on a large leaf rather than a plate. Dining here will give tourists an insight into the Malaysian Indian culinary experience.
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The Ship
Restaurant, Malaysian$$
They serve one of the best steaks in Malaysia | © Pixabay
For a Western-style restaurant in Bukit Bintang, The Ship along Jalan Sultan Ismail will satisfy the palate for steak and seafood. With an exterior resembling a ship’s hull and a nautical themed interior, dining here offers an unusual culinary experience. According to the restaurant, they serve the best steak in Malaysia.
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